ESG to guide infrastructure's green shift

Among all the environmental challenges, biodiversity conservation is put on the high agenda. In December 2022, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework reached at the 15th meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity proposed that all parties should take urgent actions to stop and reverse the loss of biodiversity before 2030.

Chief Programme Officer of WWF China Zhou Fei said that biodiversity is the blessing of humankind, and the foundation for the well-being of the Earth and economic prosperity. He finds it important to join hands to align the investment in infrastructure area with the goals of Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and Paris Agreement.

After the panel, Director General of the Department of Strategy and Consulting of China International Contractors Association Shang Shengping released their latest report and announced new partners.

Technology is a key factor for environmental progress and China remains a major partner in financing investments on the continent of Africa, especially in road construction -- its contribution to Africa's development has been tremendous, said Amadou Mansour Faye, Senegal's Minister of Infrastructure, Land Transport and Opening-up.

At an earlier panel discussion of IIICF in Macao, he also noted that to reduce energy consumption, solar farms are being installed in his country over thousands of hectares of highways to produce clean energy that can be used for road lighting and toll booth operation.

Sri Lankan Minister of Ports, Shipping and Aviation Nimal Siripala De Silva said it is also important for the nation battered by the pandemic to take the road of digitalization, which is the focus of Sri Lanka economic development.

For instance, now the Port of Colombo attaches great importance to the power of digitalization and innovation, so all their terminals are now transformed and have undergone digital transformation, he said.

Sri Lanka is coming out of economic difficulties and in the process of recovery from the pandemic, but it is still not easy to return the economy to normal, the minister said.

Li Xiang in Macao contributed to this report.